Home renovations are the No. 1 reason homeowners take out HELOCS – or Home Equity Lines of Credit, but that doesn’t mean they’re popular by any means. In fact, according to a new survey, the majority of homeowners have never even heard of a HELOC – or the ways it can benefit their home and pocketbook.

If you’re looking to buy a home this year, you’ll likely want to act fast – at least that’s what an increasing number of Americans think. According to new data, the number of consumers who think now is a good time to buy is on the rise and likely won’t stay that way for long.

It looks like 2018 is going to be another good year for housing. According to new data, mortgage applications were up the first week of the year, and last month, they jumped nearly 8 percent. Does that mean more competition's on the horizon?

Finding the right home buying partners is now easier than ever, thanks to a brand new mortgage-specific search engine. Dubbed Vendor Surf, the tool lets buyers find companies in 75 different categories to help with their home purchase and mortgage process.

If you want a low-risk home purchase, steer clear of Florida. The Sunshine State claims 10 of the nation’s 16 riskiest housing markets — markets where prices are outpacing incomes and rents are more affordable than mortgages.

FICOs drop for average buyer It looks like mortgage lenders are loosening their credit standards a bit. According to data from Ellie Mae, November saw the average buyer FICO score drop two points over October. FICOs also dropped on refinance loans across the board. Lower FICO score? No problem According to Ellie Mae’s November Origination […]

Like new It’s all about new properties with today’s home buyers. According to new data from the U.S. Department of Commerce, sales of new homes spiked in October, jumping more than 6 percent over the month. Sales up About 685,000 new homes sold in October – up from 645,000 in September. It’s the third month […]

Millennials impacting the housing market According to one national housing trend report, first-time buyers make up 47 percent of all purchases. Half of those buyers are under 36 years old. It's safe to say that (finally!) millennials comprise a large segment of homebuyers. Millennials only group "moving up" in homeownership The Zillow report indicated that […]

Top tools for mortgage shopping Mortgage shopping has changed, for the better. Home buyers are using more online and mobile tools in their quest for a mortgage today. And according to a recent survey from Fannie Mae, they hope to use even more in the future. Mining for mortgage data According to the recent National Housing […]

4 U.S. cities ranked among world's most affordable Houston, Texas has some of the most affordable housing in the world. According to Bloomberg's recent Global City Housing Affordability Index, it's one of just four U.S. cities to make the top 10 list. The index considers average housing cost as a percentage of monthly income. The world's most […]

The South takes the cake If you're looking to buy a home in this fall, you might want to consider heading south. According to Ten-X's fall 2017 Top Single-Family Housing Markets Report, that's where the majority of the nation's strongest markets lie. In fact, the Lone Star State alone claimed the top three spots. Texas […]

Mortgage lenders could afford to be picky when interest rates were low and business was booming. Today, they have to be less picky to keep business coming in. That could be good for anyone buying a home right now.

When foreign national buyers consider investing in U.S. real estate, they often focus on projects set to deliver 2-4 years out as opposed to projects that are ready to deliver today. Considering the path of the world's economy , this long-term investment strategy may be a bit short-sighted. For non-U.S....

As the dollar slides against the world's currencies, foreign national buyers are flocking to U.S. housing market for second homes and investment properties. Looking at the graph, it's not hard to see why. Since September 2007, a European's cost to buy a $300,000 property in the United States has fallen...